Sting will return to live in-ring action for the first time in nearly six years at Double or Nothing.
Darby Allin will team with Sting as they take on the team of Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page. The two teams had a confrontation tonight, which ended up with Page being ejected out of the ring while Sting put Scorpio Sky in the scorpion deathlock. The Double or Nothing match, which will take place on May 30, was announced later in the show.
Sky and Page, since debuting as a team, have set their sights on Allin and Sting in recent weeks. After Allin confronted them during a promo, Sky and Page attacked Allin, throwing him down a flight of stairs.
Sting hasn’t wrestled live since Night of Champions 2015, when he lost to Seth Rollins. He suffered a neck injury during that match, leading to him announcing his retirement in 2016. However, since appearing on AEW, Sting has been physical, including working a cinematic street fight that took place on March 7 at AEW Revolution.
Four matches have been announced for this week’s AEW Dark: Elevation.
Chuck Taylor will face Rey Fenix in one of the marquee bouts. Best Friends and The Lucha Brothers have been feuding in recent weeks, with Penta El Zero Miedo picking up a win over Trent this past Wednesday on Dynamite.
Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page, who have teamed together in recent weeks, will take on Alex Reynolds and Allan “Five” Angels of The Dark Order. Sky and Page were also involved in the show closing angle on Dynamite, where they attacked Darby Allin after he successfully defended the TNT title against Jungle Boy.
Additionally, Matt Sydal will face Joey Janela. Sydal will team with his brother Mike this Wednesday against The Young Bucks in a AEW World Tag Team title eliminator. Big Swole and Red Velvet, meanwhile, will team up to take on Nyla Rose and Madi Wrenkowski.
AEW Dark: Elevation is streamed every Monday starting at 7 pm Eastern.
Two matches were announced for next Monday’s AEW Dark: Elevation.
A video segment aired during tonight’s Dynamite with Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page both talking about how they would no longer be overlooked, and would no longer wait for their opportunity. Page cut a similar promo on this week’s Elevation. This coming Monday they will team together to take on Matt and Mike Sydal.
Later, Alex Marvez conducted an interview with Britt Baker, who ran down Thunder Rosa, mentioning that Rosa would be in action on Monday. She said that was good, as since their Lights Out Match two weeks ago was unsanctioned, Rosa’s win over her didn’t count and wouldn’t be a part of her record. Rosa also appeared on Elevation this past Monday, defeating Alex Gracia.
This week’s AEW Dark: Elevation card was headlined by Scorpio Sky defeating Matt Sydal. Jon Moxley also appeared on the show, defeating Bill Collier.
Scorpio Sky and Frankie Kazarian will both be in action next Monday on AEW Dark: Elevation.
Scorpio announced on tonight’s episode of Dynamite that he will be facing Mike Sydal next week on Elevation. He said that this isn’t a new side of him that we’re seeing, in regards to a recent post-match attack on Darby Allin, but rather just a side that people have never seen.
After accepting a challenge from Christian Cage for next week’s Dynamite, Frankie Kazarian announced he would be in singles action this Monday on Elevation. He told Christian that he stop by and watch, as seven years is a long time to be out of the ring.
Also confirmed for next week’s Elevation is Orange Cassidy and Chuck Taylor vs. Ryan Nemeth and JD Drake. Additionally, Jon Moxley will be in action. Both of these matches were taped prior to tonight’s episode of Dynamite.
Hangman Page will face Matt Hardy in a singles match. If Page wins, he gets 100% of Hardy’s profits during the first quarter of 2021. However, if Hardy wins, he gets 100% of Page’s earnings. This follows what happened during the opening moments of tonight’s Dynamite, where Page & Hardy defeated The Hybrid 2. After they won, Page revealed to Hardy that he had switched contracts last week, and instead of them becoming a tag team, Hardy had instead signed a contract to a match against Page at Revolution.
Additionally, a ladder match has been added to the event. Called the Face of the Revolution ladder match, the winner will get a shot at Darby Allin’s TNT title. Cody Rhodes made the announcement tonight, saying that he, Scorpio Sky, and Penta El 0 M have already been entered.
Matches already announced for Revolution include Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley in a barbed wire death match for the AEW World title, Young Bucks vs. Chris Jericho and MJF for the AEW World Tag Team titles, Hikaru Shida vs. the winner of the AEW Women’s title eliminator tournament, and Brian Cage & Ricky Starks vs. Darby Allin and Sting in a street fight.
AEW Dynamite airs live tonight from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.
After defeating Chris Jericho at Full Gear, MJF will be inducted into The Inner Circle tonight. MJF faked being hit by a baseball bat at Full Gear to create an issue between Jericho and referee Aubrey Edwards, allowing MJF to roll Jericho up and pin him while holding the tights.
Natural Nightmares vs. The Butcher and The Blade (w/The Bunny) has been announced. This feud began on AEW Dark where it was revealed that The Bunny had been seducing QT Marshall only to financially ruin him before she returned to her Bunny persona and her real-life husband, The Blade.
An appearance by new number one contender to Jon Moxley’s AEW World Championship Kenny Omega was announced earlier today.
A Cody Rhodes promo has also been advertised. Rhodes lost the TNT Championship to Darby Allin at Full Gear.
Penta El Zero M vs. Rey Fenix will take place. The tag partners faced off in the first round of the World title eliminator tournament. Fenix came away with the win, but Penta took his place in the second round against Kenny Omega after Fenix was injured.
Shawn Spears (w/Tully Blanchard) will take on Scorpio Sky. This bout was originally slated for last week, but Sky was pulled from the show due to COVID contact tracing.
Brian Cage vs. Matt Sydal and Tay Conti vs. Red Velvet have also been announced for the show.
Tony Khan has also promised that “the balance of power in wrestling will shift tonight.”
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Dynamite has a fresh presentation package, including a new intro and revised graphics.
Taz opened the show with a promo ahead of Brian Cage’s match against Matt Sydal. He addressed Darby Allin, who was sitting high up in the audience. Taz told Allin not to interfere in the match, and to tell Cody Rhodes the same thing. Taz put over Sydal, and notably said that Sydal has a win over Chris Jericho, which was either a mistake where Taz meant to say “Christopher Daniels” or a reference to their WWE days.
Brian Cage (w/ Taz & Ricky Starks) defeated Matt Sydal
Taz joined commentary. Sydal surprised Cage with a couple kicks. Cage popped up and beat him down with power moves and strikes. Sydal would occasionally hit some hopeful offense, but Cage’s power was too much. Cage taunted Sydal by curling him.
Cage got cocky and attempted a hurricanrana, which Sydal turned into a hurricanrana before hitting a brutal meteora on the ramp. Sydal hit kicks and a standing corkscrew moonsault for two. Cage went for the Drill Claw, but Sydal fought out. Sydal hit a roundhouse kick but was leveled with a lariat before countering out of the Drill Claw into a cradle for a close near fall.
Sydal attempted a top-rope blockbuster, but Cage caught him out of midair right into the Drill Claw for the win.
After the match, Starks cut a promo, emphasizing how he and Cage are both now on the men’s singles rankings. “The revolution will be televised.”
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Cody Rhodes made his full entrance and congratulated Darby Allin on his championship victory. Cody will not be seeking a rematch, and instead wants a match with MJF. Some tall bodybuilder woman entered the ring, took the microphone, and accused Cody of lying.
Her name is Jade Cargill, and she called herself the “total package”. She’s been sitting on the sidelines studying her competition. Cargill said that Cody wants to topple giants, but there’s nothing giant about Cody.
Cargill told Cody to keep his thoughts to himself, and told him to watch his back, before sarcastically congratulating him on his name. Cargill said that Cody was too scared to go by just one name, and said that the giant she’s representing was Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal).
Brandi Rhodes came out and tore into Cargill, but Cargill was unfazed. Cargill gave Brandi a lovetap on the way out before Jerry Lynn came out to prevent the fight.
With Cody distracted, Cage re-entered the ring and laid him out. He and Starks attacked Cody, but Allin’s music played, and he made the save. Cody’s music played as Will Hobbs made his way out to even the odds.
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Alex Marvez interviewed Jon Moxley. When Moxley came to AEW he wasn’t interested in championships, but now, the world title represents every single one of the fans. He has a big challenge ahead with Kenny Omega. He’s beaten Omega once, but beating him twice is another story.
They announced that Moxley will the AEW World Championship against Omega in three weeks, on the December 2 episode of Dynamite. It was billed as the “biggest match in Dynamite history.”
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Natural Nightmares (Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall) defeated The Butcher & The Blade (w/ Allie) in a Bunkhouse Match
This was tons of fun.
There are no disqualifications or countouts in a Bunkhouse match. Everyone in the match was wearing jeans and there were props next to the stage.
Marshall attacked before the bell and the Natural Nightmares worked over their opponents on the floor. Dustin hit the Final Reckoning on Blade through a chair. Bunny distracted them, and Blade smashed a guitar over Marshall’s head as Dustin grabbed a bullrope. Dustin set up to use the rope but was leveled with a chair shot from Butcher.
The camera cut to Marshall, who was bloodied. Bunny handcuffed Dustin to the ropes. It was all Butcher and Blade during the commercial break as Dustin was helpless and Marshall was incapacitated.
A ladder and a kendo stick were introduced during the break. Dustin grabbed the kendo stick, so Blade tackled him, but in the process, Dustin was set free from the cuffs. He made a one-man comeback after flipping off his opponents.
Dustin and Butcher fought with weapons abnd brawled over to a staging area. Marshall blinded Butcher with a fire extinguisher, allowing Dustin to bulldog him through a plywood structure.
Back in the ring, Blade had been opened up badly. Marshall and Blade’s relationship with Allie/Bunny was the focus of this feud, so they brawled in the ring before Marshall cracked him with a trashcan. Marshall climbed a ladder and hit an elbow drop from the top, but Blade got his shoulder up at two.
Butcher and Dustin made their way back into the fight as the latter hit signature offense before they whiffed on a Code Red. Butcher and Blade hit the Full Death through chairs, but Marshall broke up the pin. Marshall hit a chain-assisted Diamond Cutter on Butcher and Blade into Bunny, which sent her through a table. Dustin nailed Blade with a cowbell and Marshall hit the cutter for the win.
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Matt Hardy cut a promo from his compound. He said that Sammy Guevara earned his respect through all the violence and that Guevara will be a big star.
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MJF’s Inner Circle Induction Ceremony
There was a podium set up in the ring. Chris Jericho came out, addressed the crowd, and invited out the original Inner Circle first. Hager, Santana, and Ortiz came out without Guevara, but Jericho brushed it off.
Next were MJF and Wardlow, both of whom are being inducted into the Inner Circle. MJF took the podium and acted all emotional, saying he overcame the adversity of a one million dollar loan and handled the burden of being the ratings champion. He then read a prepared poem, but he was just plagiarazing the rapper Drake’s song “All Me”.
Santana and Ortiz got heated, but Jericho calmed everyone down and said the Inner Circle would be stronger than ever, imploring everyone to make it work.
MJF said they weren’t just here to celebrate his induction, they were also celebrating Jericho’s birthday as confetti and balloons rained down. He announced that the Inner Circle was headed to Las Vegas next week, and the trip was on him, before singing “Happy Birthday” to close the segment.
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Alex Marvez interviewed the Young Bucks. In a funny moment, he flinched when their dressing room opened, expecting to be superkicked. The Bucks called the tag championships the biggest achievement of their career.
Matt mentioned that they received a message from Top Flight, the high-flying team of brothers that’s appeared on Dark, and then Matt granted them a tag team championship opportunity next week.
This was the culmination of a feud. They traded big moves early on. Ahead of the commercial, Sky went for a dive, but Spears sprung up and suplexed him.
Back from break, Sky fought out of C4 and hit a plancha and a slingshot cutter. Spears had set up stairs on the outside. Sky attempted a diving clothesline off of them, but Spears kicked him out of the air before dropping Sky with a sidewalk slam onto the stairs.
Spears went for the TKO, but Spears turned it into a sharpshooter. Tully dropped Spears’ Kevlar slug gimmick in the corner and distracted the referee and Sky. Spears crushed Sky with a steel slug inserted into his left glove, and that was enough to get the three count.
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During the previous match, Cody Rhodes & Darby Allin vs. Brian Cage & Ricky Starks of Team Taz was announced for next week’s Dynamite.
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Dasha Gonzalez had been sitting with Kenny Omega for an interview, but Omega left in a hurry. They cut to Alex Marvez, who had caught up to Omega outside. Marvez asked for Omega’s thoughts on being the next world championship challenger.
Omega said that he needs the championship to live up to the standards of the Kenny Omega we saw in New Japan. He’s ready to assume the responsibility of being world champion, and noted that despite their previous encounter, this is the first official match between him and Moxley. He closed the interview with an intriguing cliffanger: Omega has a flight to catch.
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Tay Conti (w/ Anna Jay) defeated Red Velvet (w/ Brandi Rhodes)
Conti took control with judo throws before a commercial break. Velvet came back with clotheslines and a cazadora bulldog before following it up with double knees and a stunner for two.
They downed each other with double roundhouse kicks. Jay slipped a chair to Conti, but Conti didn’t want to cheat, and she kicked it out of the ring. Velvet surprised her with a leg lariat for a near fall, but missed a dropkick. Conti followed with a pump kick and a Gory Special transitioned into a knee strike for the victory.
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Alex Marvez interviewed Jericho, MJF, and the rest of the Inner Circle. They celebrated with their tickets to Las Vegas. Sammy Guevara approached. Guevara missed the induction ceremony because he didn’t get a follow-up email about where it would take place, but MJF was adamant he sent it.
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They replayed the Best Friends/Sabian & Miro angle from Full Gear and announced Kip Sabian vs. Orange Cassidy for next week.
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Eddie Kingston cut a promo. Even though he said “I quit,” he will never stop wrestling and will become world champion. Penta vs. Fénix is next, and all Kingston can say to the fans is “you’re welcome.”
Penta El Zero Miedo defeated Rey Fénix
This was a very good match but it wasn’t quite as great as their previous encounter.
Kingston joined commentary and they teased dissension as Kingston clearly favors Penta. The Lucha Bros traded kicks right away. They traded cradles before Fénix sent Penta outside with a hurricanrana. Fénix set up for a dive, but Penta backdropped him to the floor. Penta tore at his brother’s mask and flattened him with a thrust kick.
A lot of Fénix’s face was exposed during and after Penta’s attack on his mask. Schiavone accused Kingston of breaking up a great tag team. They brawled outside during the break and Penta maintained control of the match.
Penta set up for the package piledriver but Fénix turned it into a cradle. Fénix hit a handspring cutter before returning the favor and ripping his brother’s mask. We just about saw Penta’s entire face. They traded headbutts and Penta hit a flipping DDT for two.
A tijeras sent Penta outside before Fénix laid him out with a tornillo dive. Fénix hit a senton atomico for two. They fought on the apron as Penta hit the package piledriver right on the ring frame. On the floor, Penta hit a destroyer.
Back in the ring, Penta hit a second package piledriver for the win.
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Kingston immediately grabbed a microphone and congratulated Penta before pushing Fénix out of the ring. He said that Penta doesn’t need that dead weight.
He was interrupted by the returning PAC, who said that the Bastard is back and that Kingston made a bad mistake. Officials came out to prevent the brawl.
It was announced that PAC will make his in-ring return on next week’s Dynamite, facing The Blade.
We take a look at the life and wrestling career of Tracy Smothers with a major feature as the lead story in this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer.
We look at those he helped teach, his last two decades on the independent scene, his battle with cancer, with comments from his friends and many of today’s major stars. We look at the unique first time he was in the ring, wrestling bears, playing sports growing up, the famous first TV taping he worked against five Hall of Famers in one night. We look at his runs in different territories, his first major title, the birth of the Southern Boys tag team, the best match of 1990 in U.S. wrestling, why the Southern Boys name was dropped, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, ECW, Freddie Joe Floyd, The Thugs and much more.
Also in this issue:
Kylie Rae stepping away from pro wrestling and some of the lessons this should teach us.
Preview AEW’s Full Gear show as well as WWE’s Survivor Series, looking at the matches, the booking, selling tickets and what can be expected.
The WWE Twitch situation, a WWE meeting with employees, what is banned at the Thunderdome, A&E specials, where wrestling stands in sports ratings, WWE ratings outside the U.S., college star talks WWE, next week’s TV, most-watched shows on the WWE Network and current WWE market value.
Preview both New Japan tournaments coming up. We look at how much the junior talent in New Japan has dropped over the last year and why.
The last fight of Anderson Silva in UFC and his career, as well as full coverage of Saturday’s UFC show.
Gate of Destiny, one of Dragon Gate’s signature events of the year, the angles, who is getting promoted, the future of the company as well as match-by-match coverage.
DDT’s Ultimate Party.
Ratings breakdowns in every segment for Wednesdays and every category for other shows, looking at stats not available elsewhere to get the deepest read into how shows are doing, what categories are doing well and how shows compare with previous weeks and one year ago.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
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If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.
FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
We’ve got a new show up today talking with Tony Khan about the first two years of AEW, Full Gear, booking, Gedo, angles that fans changed and much more. We’ve got polls this coming weekend for Full Gear and Power Struggle, thumbs up, down or middle, best and worst match to [email protected]
An update on the Matt Jackson injury. He’s had improvements in his knee since first hurting it doing the stage dive a couple of months back. The MCL problem was a direct result of the dive in the match with Butcher & Blade. The ACL issue is likely just from years of use but he’s not quite sure. He can work on it like he’s done the past few months.
Power Struggle tonight at 3 a.m. Eastern and Midnight Pacific on New Japan World:
Toru Yano vs. Zack Sabre Jr. with no turnbuckle pads for the KOPW title
Minoru Suzuki vs. Shingo Takagi for the Never Open weight title
Kazuchika Okada vs. Great O’Khan
KENTA vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the U.S. title briefcase
Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White for the Tokyo Dome IWGP title shot
Tetsuya Naito vs. Evil for the IWGP & IC titles
The winners in the top two matches would face off in a main event at the Tokyo Dome for both titles.
UFC tomorrow at 7 p.m. Eastern:
Anthony Birchak (136) vs. Gustavo Lopez (135.75)
Max Griffin (170) vs.; Ramiz Brahimaj (170)
Darren Elkins (145.5) vs. Luiz Eduard Garagorri (145.5)
Marcos Rogerio de Lima (258) vs. Alexandr Romanov (260)
Giga Chikadze (145) vs. Jamey Simmons (146)
Trevin Giles (185.5) vs. Bevon Lewis (185)
Claudia Gadelha (115.5) vs. Yan Xiaonan (115.5)
Ian Heinisch (185.5) vs. Brendan Allen (185)
Raoni Barceloa (135.5) vs. Khalid Taha (135.5)
Andrei Arlovski (244.5) vs. Tanner Boser (232.5)
Thiago Santos (205.5) vs. Glover Teixeira (205.5)
New Japan Strong tonight at 10 p.m. on New Japan World:
Fred Rosser vs. Jordan Clearwater
Jeff Cobb & Rocky Romero vs. Rust Taylor & JR Kratos
The ban of MMA on television in France has officially ended. MMA has been banned from television forever, but there is a large fan base that watches it off television stations in the U.K. and Luxembourg. The guidelines are that it can only air after 10:30 p.m., it must have a 16 and older viewer rating, fights too violent are not allowed and no glorification of violence is allowed (thanks to Tony Bouin).
The situation with Scorpio Sky is that he told AEW medical that someone he was in contact with might have COVID and he was pulled from Wednesday’s show. The person tested negative and Scorpio Sky has tested negative twice so he is cleared to return.
WWE
Elayna Black, who has worked a number of indies and AEW Dark, is part of a tryout going on right now.
AEW
The movie podcast “Medium Cool” has an interview with Andy Williams, aka “The Butcher.”
MISCELLANEOUS
Linda McMahon tweeted “Stand with the President Donald Trump for a fair count of legal votes. Ignoring court orders and breaking state laws is the opposite. We must continue the challenge.” The irony of wanting a fair count after dismantling the post office in an attempt to make sure mail ballots arrived late and eliminating voting boxes in cities where a high percentage of those voting would vote against him makes fair count of legal votes rich.
LFA on 11/20 and 12/4 on Fight Pass has shows from Park City, KS. The 11/20 show is headlined by Nick Browne (10-1) vs. Arthur Estrazulas (12-4) for the lightweight title and Myron Dennis (17-7) vs. Dylan Potter (9-4) at light heavyweight. 12/4 has Maycon Mendonca (10-4) vs. Batsumberel Dagvadorj (7-0) for the welterweight title and Mo Miller (4-0) vs.; Regivaldo Carvalho (5-2) at bantamweight.
The U.K. lockdowns have put on hold the return of Pro Wrestling Eve this weekend.
Glory has announced 12/19 on FITE TV for Badr Hari vs. Benjamin Adegbuyi
CWE from last night in Morden, Manitoba: Travis Cole b EZ Ryder,.Shaun Martens b Sammy Peppers, AJ Sanchez & Kevin O’Doyle b Danny Duggan & Mentallo, Kevin Cannon b Cole Zwiep, Sammy Peppers & Cole Swiep b Kevin Cannon & Shaun Martens.
CWE has three more shows left this month, 11/26 in Grand Prairie,Alberta, 11/27 in Red Deer, Alberta and 11/28 in Calgary.
Northeast Wrestling is debuting a new Studio Wars show on Tuesday night at Highspots.com
Dalton Castle vs. Brody King is on this weekend’s ROH TV show.
As a COVID-19 precaution, Scorpio Sky has been pulled from tonight’s episode of Dynamite.
AEW announced this afternoon that Sky is off tonight’s Dynamite after being exposed to someone with COVID-19 within the past 14 days. AEW noted that an initial test was negative, but they’ve decided to postpone Sky’s match against Shawn Spears that was scheduled for tonight: “Through contact tracing, AEW learned @ScorpioSky was exposed to someone with COVID-19 within the last 14 days. An initial test was negative, but AEW has decided to postpone tonight’s scheduled match.”
With Sky vs. Spears off the show, AEW has announced that The Young Bucks vs. Private Party is now set for tonight’s Dynamite. Back on the second-ever episode of Dynamite in October 2019, Private Party defeated The Young Bucks in the first round of AEW’s Tag Team title tournament.
The Young Bucks are challenging for FTR’s AEW Tag Team titles at this Saturday’s Full Gear pay-per-view.
Here’s the updated card for tonight’s Dynamite:
Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston will go face-to-face ahead of their I Quit match for the AEW World Championship at Full Gear
Sammy Guevara & Ortiz vs. MJF & Wardlow
The Young Bucks vs. Private Party
Cody & The Gunn Club (Billy & Austin Gunn) vs. John Silver, Colt Cabana & Preston “10” Vance
Nyla Rose vs. Red Velvet
Miro vs. Trent
PAC breaks his silence
Chris Jericho will be on commentary for tonight’s show.
Three matches have been advertised for the AEW special.
Brandi Rhodes will be in action against The Dark Order’s Anna Jay. The Dark Order took Rhodes’s husband out of action on the August 22 edition of Dynamite. Mr. Brodie Lee defeated Cody for the TNT Championship that night. Cody was assaulted by Dark Order after and did a stretcher job.
Shawn Spears will face Matt Sydal. Both were participants in the Casino Battle Royale at All Out on September 5. Sydal eliminated Spears from the match before being tossed himself by Eddie Kingston.
Scorpio Sky, the fifth-ranked singles competitor in AEW, is also scheduled for tonight’s show. Sky will face Ben Carter. Carter made his AEW debut on the September 8 episode of AEW Dark in a losing effort against Ricky Starks. According to AEW’s website, Carter is a former Black and Brave Wrestling Academy student.
Our live coverage begins following the conclusion of tonight’s NBA playoff coverage on TNT.
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Jim Ross, Excalibur and Tony Schiavone were the broadcast team.
Chris Jericho entered and joined the commentary desk. Jericho milked the Judas reaction.
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Scorpio Sky defeated Ben Carter
This was a quality opener.
Carter is fundamentally sound and looks to be a pretty good athlete. They worked a slow pace and kept things simple.
They traded basic holds, including hammerlocks. Both appeared to be going after the other’s left arm. Sky used a leg sweep. Carter hit a deep arm drag. Sky rolled outside to collect himself. They traded dropkicks and chops before a commercial break.
Sky was working a chinlock after the break. Carter rolled to the apron and blocked a suplex back in. Carter hit a moonsault press into a reverse DDT for a two count. He followed with a standing shooting star for another two count.
Carter missed a moonsault off the post but connected with a tope con giro. Carter hit a frog splash for another two count.
Sky avoided a phoenix splash and hit a neckbreaker for a two count. Sky tried a fisherman buster but Carter blocked. Sky got the fisherman buster on a second attempt for a near fall.
Carter used a schoolboy for a near fall. Sky hit a double stomp, a big boot and a TKO for the pin.
Sky and Carter shook hands after the bout.
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They aired a hype video for Moxley, Hobbs & Allin vs. Archer, Cage & Starks on Wednesday’s Dynamite.
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Anna Jay defeated Brandi Rhodes
This was much better than it had any right to be given their combined in-ring experience level. The announcers put this over as a grudge match and they definitely worked it that way.
Brandi came out firing forearms and elbow strikes. Brandi hit a DDT on the apron.
Brandi hit a Thesz press and worked on Jay’s abdomen with strikes. Jay did a nice job selling.
Jay used her Queen Slayer rear naked choke but Brandi flipped it over into a cradle for a two count.
Jay cut Brandi off and hit some strikes before using a chinlock. Brandi came back with a slingblade.
Stu Grayson and Evil Uno ran in and took the ref. Brandi hit A Shot of Brandi but there was no ref to count the pin.
Jay used the Queen Slayer and Brandi passed out in the hold for the finish.
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Alex Marvez interviewed Scorpio Sky. Sky said he’s going after the TNT title.
Matt Sydal entered. Sydal and Sky buddied up to each other and put each other over. Sky invited Sydal out for drinks later and said Marvez could come with.
Sky was the best promo of this bunch and that’s not saying a lot.
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A video package for the TNT title match between Orange Cassidy and Brodie Lee aired. JR put Cassidy over strongly.
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Shawn Spears (w/Tully Blanchard) defeated Matt Sydal
They opened with some chain wrestling. Spears hit some chops. Spears teased a plancha but Sydal took him out with a leg sweep on the apron.
Sydal hit a leg lariat for a two count. Sydal worked an armbar before a break.
Sydal hit a top rope rana after the commercial break. Sydal hit some kicks and used a wacky cradle for a two count. Sydal hit a slice for a two count. Sydal hit a tornillo for another near fall.
Sydal teased the shooting star press but Spears cut him off. Spears hit a spinebuster for a two count.
They traded strikes. Sydal hit a jumping knee strike. Spears hit an ushigoroshi into a double down.
Spears went for a DVD but Sydal blocked. Sydal hit a hot shot and a meteora for a near fall.
Spears sat on a chair on the floor. Sydal hit a running knee and celebrated in the ring while Blanchard loaded Spears’ glove.
They did a couple of teases with the loaded glove before Spears finally connected with a punch and a C4 for the pin.
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Spears went after Sydal after the match but Sky ran in for the save.
An updated lineup was revealed for next week’s episode of Dynamite.
A TNT title match was set, as Cody will defend the title against Scorpio Sky of SCU. Sky and Cody exchanged some words as Cody was heading to the back following a match on tonight’s show.
Next week’s edition of Dynamite will serve as Tag Team Appreciation Night. Jurassic Express will take on AEW World Tag Team champions Kenny Omega & Hangman Page, while Stu Grayson & Evil Uno of the Dark Order will take on The Young Bucks.
As part of Tag Team Appreciation Night, there will be appearances by Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson, and The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express.
Additionally, the match between Orange Cassidy and Chris Jericho is now a $7,000 obligation match. If Orange Cassidy loses, he must pay $7,000 for the jacket he ruined when he poured orange juice on the Inner Circle.
This week’s Dynamite featured a debate between Cassidy and Jericho, with Eric Bischoff serving as a special guest moderator. Cassidy won the debate, but was laid out by Jericho and Jake Hager.
Scorpio Sky defeated Will Hobbs (and don’t skip Sky’s promo)
Show Recap:
Taz and Tony Schiavone were on commentary booth and similar to Dynamite, there was no mention of why Excalibur wasn’t there.
Scorpio Sky defeated Will Hobbs
Hobbs blindsided Sky to start the match and hit a nice spinebuster for a near fall. Sky recovered and hit TKO for the win, looking great in a quick squash. After the match, he cut a promo talking about how he is tired of being on Dark and seeing other less deserving guys get opportunities ahead of him. This was awesome.
The Gunn Club (Billy Gunn & Austin Gunn) defeated Aaron Solow and Serpentico
This was Austin’s first match since the January 8th Dark. Serpentico and Solow made quick tags and beat him down for the majority of the match. He has never looked great to me, but his selling has greatly improved. Austin hit a modified hip toss on Serpentico for the win.
Sonny Kiss & Joey Janela defeated The Initiative (Peter Avalon & Brandon Cutler) w/Leva Bates
Janela nearly immediately took out both members of the Initiative and then tagged in Kiss, who hit all his signature moves including a tope suicida into a DDT. Kiss and Janela continued to work at a fast pace.
Avalon lured Janela to the entrance ramp and threw him into it, giving The Initiative their first advantage of the match. Unfortunately, a new tag team name wasn’t enough for Cuter and Avalon to pick up their first victory. Janela held up Avalon as Kiss landed a top rope split onto Avalon’s head for the pin.
During the finish, you could see Avalon’s head bounce off the mat upon impact. After the bell, Janela seemed concerned and was clearly talking to the referee and Avalon. I’m not sure who executed this wrong or if it was a freak accident, but that should be reviewed.
Abadon defeated KiLynn King
As Abadon made her entrance, King was seen on the outside clearly shaken up by her presence. Abandon no sold King’s offense for the majority of the match which led to her hitting a move neither Taz, Schiavone or I knew the name of for the win.
This made Sky vs. Hobbs from earlier tonight feel like Misawa vs. Kawada from early 90s All Japan. Abadon reminds me of the atrocious undead realm in Impact, and I just can’t take anything she does seriously.
Jack Evans (w/Angelico) defeated QT Marshall (w/Allie)
Both wrestlers are returning, but from two very different situations. Marshall has fully recovered from COVID-19, and Evans is back from a brief stint in Mexico. Throughout the match, Allie was heard cheering for every offensive move Marshall landed and criticized him with every mistake he made.
Evans slipped while attempting a springboard maneuver which gave Marshall the opportunity to take control. Allie entered the ring and argued with the referee which allowed Angelico to kick Marshall in the head. Evans then rolled him up for the victory.
FTR defeated Brian Pillman Jr. & Griff Garrison
As FTR made their way to the ring, Tully Blanchard could be seen inside the tunnel where FTR exited. So, it appears Blanchard is now advising both FTR and Shawn Spears. Per FTR’s contract, tag ropes were added to the turnbuckles for the match. FTR worked much slower than usual, but it was very solid tag team wrestling. Garrison and Pillman got a little offense in, but in the end, FTR hit Goodnight Express on Garrison for the three count.
The Butcher & The Blade defeated Private Party (Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy)
Private Party took advantage early on, hitting multiple double team maneuvers. Midway through the match, Butcher and Blade took control and never looked back. Marq Quen made a hot tag to Isiah Kassidy, who landed some nice kicks and a cutter for two count. The end came when Quen and Kassidy were both perched up top to attack Butcher, but Quen was pushed off to the floor by Blade and Kassidy missed a senton. Butcher & Blade hit The Full Death for the win.
Closing Thoughts:
Quality wise, this was the worst episode of Dark in months. I can’t really recommend any match because they all felt like filler. Sky’s post-promo was the best I have heard from him and if he’s handled properly, I believe he can be a huge singles star. It is great that AEW has provided work for numerous indie wrestlers during the pandemic, but as soon as one of them is booked, you already know what’s going to happen. I’m not saying they should go 50/50 with a star, but giving them a little credibility wouldn’t hurt.
Scorpio Sky is the fifth confirmed entrant for the Casino Ladder Match at Double or Nothing.
Sky was announced for the ladder match today, joining Darby Allin, Colt Cabana, Orange Cassidy, and Fenix as the wrestlers who have been confirmed for it thus far. The winner will receive a future shot at the AEW World Championship.
AEW revealed the rules for the Casino Ladder Match on last night’s episode of Dynamite. Two wrestlers will begin the match, then a new entrant will enter every 90 seconds until all nine possible participants have entered. A chip will be hanging above the ring and can be grabbed at any time, so it’s an advantage to enter the match early.
Double or Nothing is taking place on Saturday, May 23. Here’s the updated card for the pay-per-view:
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley defending against Brodie Lee
TNT Championship tournament finals: Cody vs. Lance Archer (Mike Tyson will present the TNT Championship to the winner of the match)
AEW Women’s Champion Nyla Rose defending against Hikaru Shida in a no DQ, no countout match
The Elite (Kenny Omega, Hangman Page & The Young Bucks) & Matt Hardy vs. The Inner Circle (Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Jake Hager, Santana & Ortiz) in a Stadium Stampede match
Casino Ladder Match
Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander
MJF vs. Jungle Boy
Tag team number one contender’s match: Private Party vs. Best Friends (pre-show)
AEW Dynamite airs live tonight from the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
Sears Centre also hosted the All In pay-per-view in September 2018, which laid the foundation for what would become AEW, and the AEW All Out show a year later. The company’s hope is to establish a Thanksgiving week tradition at the venue starting tonight.
Chris Jericho will defend the AEW World Championship against Scorpio Sky in the main event. Sky handed Jericho his first AEW loss in a tag match two weeks ago to set up the title match, which was agreed to on last week’s Dynamite.
In addition to his title defense, “Chris Jericho’s Thanksgiving Thank You Celebrashon for Le Champion” has been announced for tonight. Jericho promised that the Celebrashon will feature an aquarium, games, clowns, and the biggest celebration in pro wrestling history.
Tonight’s show will also see Kenny Omega vs. PAC in a rematch from All Out.
The AEW Dynamite Diamond Ring will be presented to the winner of tonight’s Hangman Page vs. MJF match. Diamond Dallas Page will appear to present the ring to the winner. Hangman and MJF won the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal last week to secure their spots in the final. MJF pushed on social media this week that the ring is worth $45,000, making it the most valuable prize in sports.
Also advertised for the show is Cody’s return to action in his first match since Full Gear.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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The show opened with…
CHRIS JERICHO’S THANK YOU THANKSGIVING CELEBRASHON FOR LE CHAMPION
Soul Train Jones welcomed us to the greatest night in television history, then introduced Jericho.
The ramp was lined with a marching band. The ring was surrounded by people in inflatable clown and animal costumes.
Jericho told Chicago to sit down and shut up. The crowd chanted “thank you,” but Jericho said their thanks don’t matter. He’s here to be thanked by the AEW executive team and the TNT network brass.
Jericho announced a limited run of the official “Little Bit of the Bubbly” and gave the website. He said that fans should check under their chairs, some of them have a coupon worth 50 cents off a new Le Champion t-shirt.
He toasted Soul Train Jones, then called out the Inner Circle.
Sammy Guevara gave Jericho a cardboard standee of the two of them hugging. Santana and Ortiz gave Jericho a Puerto Rico flag headband, “a little bit of the 40,” flip-flops, then named him an honorary Boricua. Jake Hager gifted Jericho a goat named “Chris Jerich-goat.”
Between Pharaoh being scared by pyro and this poor goat that was too scared to walk to the ring, this company is going to have a serious problem with PETA.
Proud and Powerful opened a giant box in the ring, and out stepped Jericho’s dad, Ted Irvine.
Ted insulted the Chicago hockey team, then put over the New York Rangers, and gave the Inner Circle custom-made Rangers jerseys.
Jericho called Justin Roberts into the ring to read a proclamation from TNT putting Jericho over. They established that Roberts was a Chicago local, then beat him up. The announcers called attention to the fact that he was getting beat up in his hometown, which is unheard of in wrestling.
SCU hit the ring dressed as members of the marching band to make the save for Roberts. Daniels put Jones in the Million Dollar Dream.
This ruled. Great pro wrestling comedy.
With Roberts out, Dasha Gonzalez took his place as ring announcer. Marco Solis Martinez filled in for Tony Schiavone on the first match. Marco is from the “All Elite Fleet, courtesy of State Farm”.
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BEST FRIENDS DEFEATED LUCHA BROS.
Best Friends were accompanied by Orange Cassidy, who wore a turkey costume.
Lucha Bros. jumped Best Friends as they entered. Best Friends fought off the sneak attack. Cassidy hit a dive off the post. JR made a WKRP reference to flying turkeys. Excalibur made a joke about going after the over-50 demo. Lots of inside baseball jokes tonight.
The bell rang. Trent ran wild with knee strikes. Pentagon cut him off before a commercial. Lucha Bros. worked Trent over through the entire break.
Back from commercial, Fenix hit a dropkick to Trent’s ass. Trent made a hot tag to Taylor. Taylor hit a standing sliced bread and a tope con giro. Trent got a tag and got cut off again with a destroyer from Pentagon.
Taylor took out Pentagon with a dive on the floor. Trent hit Fenix with a Crunchie out of nowhere for the upset. They got very little time, but what little they did was good.
This had its moments, but was pretty sloppy overall. Statlander has a ton of potential, Shida is going to be a star, Priestley is a good athlete, Sakura is a solid veteran, but all together they didn’t gel.
The announcing was a detriment to the match as well. JR made a couple of very questionable stements here, referring to Sakura as “Oriental”, then saying that “Shida doesn’t speak English, most of these young Asian ladies don’t.” Yeesh.
Statlander hit a shooting star off the apron to Priestley, then an Okada-like shotgun dropkick. Shida got a tag and got cut off. The second straight match with a lengthy commercial break.
Sakura used her mic stand while applying an abdominal stretch to Shida, doing her Freddie Mercury shtick. They beat on Shida forever.
Statlander got a hot tag and used an Oklahoma roll for a near fall on Sakura. Priestely hit a double stomp to Statlander. Sakura hit a back breaker for a two count.
Shida hit Priestely with a falcon arrow. Statlander hit a scissors kick and a Michinoku Driver on Sakura for near falls.
Priestley took the ref. Sakura used the mic on Statlander, then used a crucifix for the pin.
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Jon Moxley cut a promo. He said he’s napalm death and wonders if anyone else has the balls to step up to him.
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CODY DEFEATED MATT KNICKS
Squash city. Cody hit a springboard cutter and threw his weight belt into the crowd. Cody used a figure four for the submission.
Cody asked for a mic. He called out MJF. The debuting Butcher and The Blade entered through a hole in the ring and left Cody laying. Allie entered through the ring as well, so those three look to be a unit.
The crowd had no idea who Butcher and Blade were, and this got very little reaction.
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KENNY OMEGA DEFEATED PAC
PAC avoided a Kotaro Krusher, but Omega hit an immediate snap dragon suplex. Omega hit a buckle bomb for a two count. PAC rolled outside, and Omega hit his Terminator dive. Omega landed flat on his ass on the floor, which had to suck.
Back inside, Omega hit another snap dragon. Omega teased a dragon off the apron, but PAC blocked. PAC then hit a moonsault off the top to the floor. PAC worked over Omega’s abs and used a chinlock during a commercial.
Back from break, Omega fired up. He connected on a series of double sledge shots, then hit a fisherman buster. Omega teased You Can’t Escape, but PAC blocked. They traded kicks. PAC blocked a V-trigger an hit a lariat into a double down.
PAC hit a top rope falcon arrow for a two count. PAC missed on a Black Arrow attempt. Omega hit a V-trigger. He teased a One-Winged Angel, but PAC blocked. Omega then used a rolling crucifix for the pin. An excellent TV match here.
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Trent vs. Rey Fenix was announced for next week.
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We got a highlight package from the Dynamite Dozen battle royal last week.
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MJF DEFEATED HANGMAN PAGE TO WIN THE DYNAMITE DIAMOND RING
Each cut an inset promo on the other before the match.
Page ignored a handshake offer at the opening bell, then attacked. He got some brief shine. Wardlow tripped Page from the floor, allowing MJF to take control. MJF worked on Page’s left arm before a commercial break.
After the commercials, Page hit a tope suicida and a moonsault off the post. Back inside, Page hit a discus lariat for a near fall. Page hit a Buckshot Lariat. They were out of position and MJF had to roll to the ropes for the next spot. Page covered, but Wardlow put MJF’s foot on the ropes.
MJF took the ref. Wardlow hit a right hand to Page. MJF then hit Page with Cross Rhodes for the pin.
DDP appeared to present MJF the ring. He said MJF’s actions have disappointed him, but since he’s the bigger man, he’ll shake MJF’s hand. Instead of accepting, MJF put his chewing gum in Page’s hand.
Page and MJF had a staredown. Wardlow stepped between them, and DDP told him to step off, because he’s look real stupid having a 63 year-old man kick his ass all over Chicago. Security and referees came out to pull everyone apart.
This was an effective segment. DDP got a great reaction as well.
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Jenn Decker interviewed Dustin Rhodes in the ring. Dustin said that Jake Hager broke his arm, so he’s out for Hager’s blood.
Guevara and Proud and Powerful hit the ring. The Young Bucks ran down to make the save. Rhodes and the Bucks cleared the ring.
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We got another Dark Order hype video similar to last week’s. I like these videos, an they should help with what has been a lackluster run for Dark Order in AEW to this point.
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CHRIS JERICHO DEFEATED SCORPIO SKY TO RETAIN THE AEW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Jericho did some stalling. Sky hit a dropkick, then clotheslined Jericho to the floor. Sky hit a one-legged dropkick on the floor, then used a sunset flip on the inside for a two count. Jericho came back with his second rope springboard dropkick, sending Sky to the floor before a commercial.
During the commercials, Jericho threw Sky into the steps, then slingshotted him into the bottom of the barricade. After the commercials, Jericho hit a suplex. Sky countered with a neckbreaker.
Sky hit a dropkick, then a slingshot cutter for a two count. Sky tried a missile dropkick, but Jericho caught him and slapped on the Liontamer. Sky reached the bottom rope forcing a break.
While Jericho jawed with Aubrey Edwards, Sky recovered. Sky hit a cutter, then locked in a dragon sleeper. Jake Hager ran to the ring and Sky gave up the hold. Jericho used the distraction to use a schoolboy for a two count.
Daniels and Kazarian ran out to take out Hager. Edwards chased them all to the back. Jericho teased a belt shot. Sky ducked it, then hit a TKO for a near fall.
Sky hit a tope rope rana, then a step-up enziguri for a two count. Sky jumped off the second rope into a Codebreaker for a near fall by Jericho.
Sky blocked a Judas Effect and used a backslide for a two count. Jericho blocked a kick and used the Liontamer, and this time Sky tapped out.
The crowd loved this and it picked up quite a bit at the end, but this was not what you would think of as a great world title match.
After the bell, Jericho again used the Liontamer on Sky. Moxley’s music hit. Moxley appeared in the crowd. Jericho grabbed his belt and the two had a long distance staredown to end the show.
This was another good episode of Dynamite. I didn’t like it as much as last week’s show, but I thought it was a better show than two weeks ago.
The AEW World title will be on the line next week.
Chris Jericho will defend the AEW World title against Scorpio Sky. This follows a Tag Team title match that took place last week between SCU and the team of Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara, where Sky pinned Jericho with a cradle to retain the title.
Jericho came to the ring this week and struggled to apologize for what he did after the match, having Jake Hager say the word “sorry” during the promo. He showed footage of himself throwing a temper tantrum over the loss. Jericho announced that there would be getting his thank you next week from AEW executives and would be throwing a Thanksgiving celebration.
Scorpio Sky, with the rest of SCU, confronted Jericho. Sky acted like didn’t want a title match against Chris Jericho, but Jericho ended up talking himself into a title match for next week. The two shook hands, with Sky saying he would make Jericho “le bitch”. Everything soon turned into a brawl featuring all of SCU against the Inner Circle. Luchasarus came to the ring and sent everyone reeling.
Dynamite next week will be at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
The finals of the AEW Tag Team title tournament are now set for next week, with the final two teams advancing.
SoCal Uncensored (Scorpio Sky and Frankie Kazarian) will face the Lucha Bros. (Pentagon Jr. and Fenix) next week for the AEW Tag Team titles. Both teams advanced tonight on Dynamite, beating The Dark Order and Private Party respectively.
This plays into an angle that took place last week on Dynamite. Originally, Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian were to be the team representing SCU in the tournament. However the Lucha Bros. jumped them as they were making their way to the ring, with Pentagon Jr. giving Daniels a package piledriver on the rampway.
Scorpio Sky came out in street clothes and joined Kazarian instead, defeating Best Friends. Commentary tonight gave an update on Daniels, saying that he was resting at home.
Dynamite will take place week in Charleston, West Virginia at the Charleston Coliseum.
